Lago Ogom: The Story of the Tactful Rendile Chief

Lago Ogom: The Tactful Chief (Rendile community) (2020) by Shujaa StoriesNational Museums of Kenya

Lago Ogom: The Visionary Educator of The Rendile
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Lago Ogom: The Visionary Educator of The Rendile
The Rendile live in the vast lands of the North Eastern part of Kenya. They are mostly concentrated in the Kaisut Desert and around Mt Marsabit.

Traditionally, the Rendile are nomadic pastoralists, tending camels, sheep, goats and cattle. In talking of forebears whom the Rendile respect and revere, one name must come to the fore: Lago Ogom.

Lago Ogom: The Visionary Educator of The Rendile
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Lago Ogom, was a supreme ruler. He was paramount chief over an area which now takes in Isiolo, Marsabit and Moyale. His greatest contribution to his society was the education of nomadic children.

Lago Ogom: The Visionary Educator of The Rendile
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He oversaw the establishment of several schools in the area, including the first Rendile Native School in Marsabit.

Each Rendile clan contributed raw hides which were sold and the money used for the construction and running of the school. The smallest clans each gave at least one gorcha, containing 22 skins and the largest as many as 66.

Lago Ogom: The Visionary Educator of The Rendile
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The money collected from the sale of these skins was used to build classes, to pay teachers’ salaries and to provide meals and boarding facilities for learners.

Lago Ogom: The Visionary Educator of The Rendile
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Lago Ogom faced many challenges. The British colonial authorities did not support education of the native African communities because that would render them uncontrollable. Therefore, it actively discouraged formal learning, by refusing to allocate government funding to local education.

Lago Ogom: The Visionary Educator of The Rendile
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On the other hand some Rendile families refused to send their sons to school because they felt that to do so would be to support an ‘alien’ tradition.

In other words, Lago Ogom was faced with the challenge of the Rendile fear of losing their children to a foreign culture against his own passionate conviction that only the best education possible would enable his people to rid themselves of oppressive colonial rule.

Lago Ogom: The Visionary Educator of The Rendile
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So Lago Ogom resorted to offering an enticement. Each household would receive 30 goats,if it’s children were sent to school. In certain instances he offered camel heifers. Chief Lago Ogom was able to have more than 30 boys enrolled. They proceeded to the intermediate school outside Marsabit.

Among these pioneer students were the politician Kholkholle Adichareh, the civil servant Philip Legwanani, and the first Rendile inspector of police, Nchude Kahle.

Lago Ogom: The Visionary Educator of The Rendile
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Lago Ogom’s foresight permitted him to usher the Rendile into the modern world and for this reason he will always remain a superhero.

Lago Ogom's legacy lives on
The town of Marsabit is an outpost of urban civilization in the vast desert of northern Kenya. The town is situated on an isolated extinct volcano, Mt Marsabit, which rises almost a kilometer above the desert. The hills here are heavily forested, in contrast to the desert beyond, with their own "insular" ecosystem.

The town currently has a population of about 5,000 people. It is mainly inhibited by the Cushitic-Speaking communities such the Borana and Rendile.

Credits: Story

Credits: Story
Research field work was undertaken in Samburu and Marsabit (for Gabbra, Samburu, Rendille, Saakuye, Dasanach, Elmolo, Waayu a.k.a Waata, and Burji superheroes/heroines), Embu and Tharaka (for Aembu, Tharaka, Ameru and Mbeere superheroes/heroines), Mombasa ( for Boni, Swahili, Pokomo, Segeju and Bajuni superheroes/heroines)and Taita-Taveta/Voi (for Taveta superheroes/heroines) capturing all information about the heroes from the 40 selected ethnic groups/communities by Museum’s research team. The illustrations were done using digital media by Shujaa Stories Limited.


National Museums of Kenya - Contributors
Mzalendo Kibunjia (PhD) - Director General
Purity Kiura (PhD) - Director Antiquities, Sites & Monuments
Julias Juma Ogega - Senior Curator/Research Scientist
Njuguna Gichere - Research Scientist
Lydia Gatundu - Art of Curator
Emmanuel Kariuki - Exhibit Designer
Philemon Nyamanga - Curator/Research Scientist
Mercy Gakii - Curator/Research Scientist
Imelda Muoti - Curator/Archivist
Innocent Nyaga - Marketing Officer
Suzanne Wanjaria - Exhibits Designer
Ray Balongo Khaemba - Senior Collection Manager
Raphael Igombo - Education Officer
Eddy Ochieng – Photographer/Videographer


Concept Developer:
Shujaa Stories Ltd


Creative Direction:
Tatu Creatives Ltd
Shujaa Stories Ltd


Shujaa Stories Ltd – Contributors
Masidza Sande Galavu - Illustrator
Jeff Muchina- Editing
Martha Shavuya Galavu - Illustrator
Brian Kiraga – Research and Writing
Daisy Okoti - Editing
Shani Mutarura - Editing
Juelz Laval – Photography/Videographer
Linda Tambo - Photography


Other Contributors
Nature Kenya- The East Africa Natural History Society (EANHS)
Spellcast Media


Date Created:
2019/2020


Location Created:
Kenya

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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